7/20/2001; 11:38:00 PM

“Most Americans never even see, let alone become ensnared in, the nation’s vast correctional system. But the unprecedented prison boom is incurring unprecedented costs — economic, social and ethical — that are being paid, one way or another, by everyone in this country…

“How did this happen? How did a nation dedicated to the principle of freedom become the world’s leading jailer? The answer has little to do with crime, but much to do with the perception of crime, and how that perception has been manipulated for political gain and financial profit.”

BBC: Drugs case tests net boundaries. “A libel case in New York could test the freedom of speech enjoyed by online journalists and activists… If the bank succeeds in pursuing its case beyond Mexico, legal experts say other organisations may be tempted to try the same tactics – and it could restrict free speech.”11:41:33 PM

Japan Today: Artist drops dead cow full of fireworks. “An Austrian artist dropped a dead cow stuffed with fireworks from a helicopter in Berlin on Thursday in a controversial performance that an animal-loving teenager had failed to stop in a last-ditch legal bid.” Nutty.11:39:58 PM

CNN: EU officials killed in Macedonia. “Two European Union monitors and their interpreter have been killed after their vehicle hit a landmine, EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana’s spokesperson has confirmed.”11:39:01 PM